Carrier connectable to automobile bumper and trailer hitch

ABSTRACT

A wheelless carrier connectable to an automobile bumper and trailer hitch. A rectangular grid frame having a mesh screen fixed to its top surface is positioned above and extends out from the automobile bumper. A pair of bumper mounts mounted to the bumper are positioned on either side of a trailer hitch extending out beneath the bumper. Legs fixedly attached to the frame are lockingly received by the bumper mounts. A pair of cross struts have top ends fixed to the outer edge of the frame and extend downward and inward in a general V-shape having lower ends connected to a trailer hitch receiving device. A vertical member connected to the underside of the frame is fixedly mounted atop the trailer hitch receiving device. An animal house having air vents and a hinged door is removably mounted atop the frame.

United States Patent [151 3,650,443 Haskett et al. 1 Mar. 21, 1972 [54]CARRIER CONNECTABLE T0 2,941,706 6/1960 Slater ..224/42.0s

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER AND TRAILER HITCH Inventors: Harlan G. Haskett, 5050West llth St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46224; Timothy B. Willoughby, 5811 BarDell, Indianapolis, Ind. 46241 Filed: Nov. 23, 1970 Appl. No.: 91,882

U.S. Cl. ..224/42.03 A, 224/4207 Int. Cl. ..B60r 9/06 Field of Search..224/42.03 R, 42.03 A, 42.03 B,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1927 Price ..224/42.08 5/l95lRichardson ..224/42.44 X 5/1956 Caruolo ..224/42.07

Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant ExaminerF rank E. WernerAttorney--Woodard, Weikart, Emhardt & N aughton [5 7] ABSTRACT Awheelless carrier connectable to an automobile bumper and trailer hitch.A rectangular grid frame having a mesh screen fixed to its top surfaceis positioned above and extends out from the automobile bumper. A pairof bumper mounts mounted to the bumper are positioned on either side ofa trailer hitch extending out beneath the bumper. Legs fixedly attachedto the frame are lockingly received by the bumper mounts. A pair ofcross struts have top ends fixed to the outer edge of the frame andextend downward and inward in a general V-shape having lower endsconnected to a trailer hitch receiving device. A vertical memberconnected to the underside of the frame is fixedly mounted atop thetrailer hitch receiving device. An animal house having air vents and ahinged door is removably mounted atop the frame.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZI 1922 INVENTORS 7111mm) 5.WlLLaus/lov F HAzLn/v L; Has/(Err mu /MUM Maw/241 ATTORNEYS CARRIERCONNECTABLE TO AUTOMOBILE BUMPER AND TRAILER HITCH BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1 long been known in the art. Some of these racks arepositioned on top of the automobile while other racks are positioned onthe rear bumper of the automobile. Those racks located at the rear ofthe automobile are protected from the wind by the automobile body. Someof these prior art devices are shown in the following U.S. Pats. No.2,746,659 issued to Caruolo; No. 2,593,908 issued to Monteverde; No.3,163,339 issued to Merchant; and No. 3 367,548 issued to Cooper. Manyof these prior art devices require modification to the automobile bumpersuch as holes being drilled in the bumper. Others used coiled springs,while others clamp to the trunk lip. The prime disadvantage of the priorart carriers is the fact that the carrier rack frames are not supportedsufficiently to receive large forces.

The present invention circumvents the disadvantage of the prior art byhaving a pair of cross struts which are formed in a general Vconfiguration. The struts are attached to the extremities of the frameand apply the force to a standard trailer hitch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is a carrier mounted to anautomobile bumper and trailer hitch. The carrier has a horizontal gridframe centered with respect to the trailer hitch and mounted atop acoupling lockingly connectable to the trailer hitch. A pair of crossstruts having top ends fixedly attached to the frame extend downward andinward with their bottom ends fixedly attached to the coupling receivingthe trailer hitch. A pair of legs connected to the frame extend downwardbeing removably connected to mounts mounted to the bumper on either sideof the trailer hitch.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheelless carrierremovably connected to an automobile bumper at two locations and to astandard automobile trailer hitch at a third location.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carrierbeing connectable to a trailer hitch positioned generally beneath thecenter line of the carrier with a pair of struts extending upward andoutward from the hitch to the outer periphery of the carrier.

In conjunction with the above objects, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a wheelless carrier which may be connected andunconnected quickly and easily without requiring any modification to theautomobile bumper.

Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of an automobile carrier incorporating the present invention shownattached to an automobile bumper and trailer hitch.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an animal house mounted atop theautomobile carrier of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the house of FIG. 2 taken along the line3-3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For the purposes of promoting anunderstanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now bemade to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specific languagewill be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understoodthat no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended,such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device,and such further applications of the principles of the invention asillustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to oneskilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a fragmentaryperspective view of carrier 11 mounted to automobile bumper l0. Carrier11 has a frame 12 centered generally with respect to ball 24 and hasbeams l3, l4, l5, l6 and 17 integrally joined to beams 18 and 19 in arectangular configuration. Beams 13 through 19 are made from metal andare welded together forming one integral assembly. Excellent resultshave been obtained by producing beams 13 through 19 with standard oneinch metal tubing. Fixedly mounted to the top of beams 13 through 19 isa continuous mesh screen 54 which extends completely across frame 12.Cross struts 20 and 21 are fixedly attached to beam 18 and projectdownward and inward having their lower ends fixedly attached to ballsocket receiving device 22. Beam 18 is generally parallel with bumper l0and is the most outer element of carrier 11 with respect to bumper 10.Strut 20 is welded to beam 18 at a location between beams 16 and 17.Likewise, cross strut 21 is welded to beam 18 at a location betweenbeams 13 and 14. Vertical support member 26 has its top end fixedlymounted to beam 15 and projects vertically downward with its bottom endwelded to device 22. Extension 25 is fixedly attached to the automobilepreferably to the automobile frame, and has a conventional ball 24mounted atop its end. Ball socket receiving device 22 receives ball 24and has a handle 23 for locking and unlocking device 22 with respect toball 24. Device 22 as well as ball 24 and extension 25 are: standarditems and are readily purchasable. Thus, further elaboration on items22, 24 and 25 by this specification would be superfluous.

Welded to the bottom surface of beams 17 and 19 is leg 27 which projectsdownward into bumper mount 29 removably mounted to bumper 10. Likewise,welded to the bottom of beams 13 and 19 is leg 28 which is slidinglyreceived into bumper mount 30 removably mounted to bumper l0. Mounts 29and 30 are positioned equidistant from coupling 22. Bumper mount 30 willnow be described it being understood that an identical descriptionapplies to bumper mount 29. Bumper mount 30 has a vertically erecthollow channel tube 31 welded to flanged member 32. A fixed arm 33 iswelded to the top of member 32 and has a curved finger 55 for curlingaround the top edge 58 of bumper l0. Threadedly received by the bottomof member 32 is bolt 34 which passes freely through member 32 beingthreadedly received by nut 56. Mounted to the head of bolt 34 is finger35 for abutting against the lower edge 57 of bumper 10. Member 32 slantsdownward from arm 33 to bolt 34 at an approximate angle equal to theslant of bumper 10. A bumper receiving cavity 36 is thereby formedbetween member 32, arm 33 and bolt 34 for receiving bumper 10. Leg 28 islocked into channel tube 31 by removable bolt 37 which extends freelythrough aligned holes in leg 28 and tube 31. Both ends of bolt 37project from tube 31. A chain 38 is fixedly connected to one end of bolt37 and is removably connected to the opposite end of the bolt preventingaccidental disengagement of the bolt from the tube. Leg 27 is locked inbumper mount 29 by a similar boltchain arrangement.

Bumper mounts 29 and 30 are installed on the bumper of the automobileprior to connecting carrier 11 to the automobile. The bumper is placedbetween fixed arm 33 and movable bolt 34 of each bumper mount and thebolts of each bumper mount are tightened by nuts 56. Legs 27 and 28 arethen slipped into bumper mounts 29 and 30 with bolts 37 and chains 38locking the bars and mounts together. Simultaneously, device 22 isslipped over ball 24 and handle 23 and is operated to securely lockdevice 22 and ball 24 together.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an animal house 40 removably mountedatop carrier 11. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 andviewed in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 2. A curved wall 41 isjoined to a similar curved wall 42 at seam 43 extending the length andpositioned at the top of the house. Seam 43 is produced by overlappingone edge of wall 41 with an adjacent edge of wall 42 and pinching thetwo edges together. All of the walls of house 40 are made from standardsheet metal. House 40 has a bottom wall 44 united to walls 41 and 42 ina similar manner. Seams 45 and 46 are formed by overlapping the edges ofwalls 41 and 42 with the edges of bottom wall 44. The seams may then bepinched together by a standard sheet metal pinching tool. Bottom wall 44is positioned upward from the bottom edge of walls 41 and 42 in order toform recess 47 for receiving carrier 11. Thus, beams 18 and 19 arepositioned between seams 45 and 46 of the side walls being partiallyconcealed thereby. Likewise, beams 13 through 17 are not visible whenobserving house 40 at an elevation higher than the elevation of house40. End walls 48 and 49 are mounted to and joined with walls 41 and 42in a manner similar to the formation of seam 43. The present inventioncontemplates and includes a variety of means of fastening the wallstogether.

Fixedly mounted to wall 48 is air vent 50. Similar air vents 52 arepositioned in walls 41 and 42. Vent 53 is hingedly mounted to end wall49 thereby providing a door which may be opened and closed. A suitablelock 59 prevents door 53 from opening accidentally. Excellent resultshave been obtained by using a standard padlock for lock 59. Vents 50, 52and 53 are quite conventional being very similar to the furnace vents inmost homes. Vents 52 may be operable in such a manner so as to close oropen the louvers provided in the vents. On the other hand, vents 53 and50 have fixed louvers and may not be closed. Standard leaf hinges, notshown, are used to mount vent 53 to wall 49. Through holes 39 (FIG. 1)are provided in beams 13 and 17 being aligned with identical throughholes provided in end walls 48 and 49. Thus, house 40 may be positionedand mounted to carrier 11 with holes 39 of beams 13 and 17 beingautomatically aligned with identical holes in walls 49 and 48. Bolts 37previously described are then inserted through the holes in end walls 48and 49 and beams 13 and 17 and have chains 38 previously describedconnected to the ends of the bolts. Two bolts 37 are shown in FIG. 2passing through wall 49; however, it is understood that two additionalbolts 37 not shown also pass through wall 48 securing the wall to theadjacent beam.

The described carrier provides for an even distribution of the weightexerted on frame 11 through cross struts 20 and 21 to coupling device22. Thus, carrier 11 will withstand a greater cargo weight with greatersafety. The bumper mounts allow for stabilization of the carrier and maybe permanently attached to the rear bumper of the automobile. it will beobvious from the above description that the present invention providesawheelless carrier removably connected to an automobile bumper at twolocations and to a standard automobile trailer hitch at a thirdlocation. It will be further obvious from the above description that thepresent invention provides a carrier being connectable to a trailerhitch positioned generally beneath the center line of the carrier with apair of struts extending upward and outward from the hitch to the outerperiphery of the carrier. In addition, the wheelless carrier may beconnected or unconnected to an automobile quickly and easily withoutrequiring any modification to the automobile.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionare desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. A wheelless carrier removably mountable to a bumper and a trailerhitch ball connected to an automobile comprismg:

a coupling lockingly connectable to said ball;

a pair of bumper mounts removably mountable to said bumper beingpositioned equidistant from and on each side of said coupling;

a horizontal grid frame centered with respect to said ball and beingfixedly mounted over and to said coupling, said frame having an outerbeam extending generally parallel with said bumper;

a pair of cross struts having top ends fixedly attached to said outerbeam and bottom ends fixedly attached to said coupling, said strutsextend from said beam downward and inward to said coupling forming ageneral V shape; and,

a pair of legs connected to said frame and being removably connectableto said mounts.

2. The carrier of claim 1 additionally comprising:

a vertically erect support element fixedly attached to the underside ofsaid frame and to the top-side of said coupling;

a mesh screen fixedly attached to and completely across said frame, andwherein:

said frame is rectangular in shape and has a plurality of beamsintegrally interconnected;

said mounts are hollow and lockingly receive said legs, said mounts eachhave a curved fixed hinge and an adjustable finger lockingly embraceablewith said bumper.

3. THe carrier ofclaim 2 wherein:

said mounts are positioned in line with the opposite ends of said frame;and,

said frame is positioned above said bumper.

4. The carrier of claim 1 additionally comprising:

an animal house removably mounted atop said frame having a hingedlockable door and air vents.

5. The carrier of claim 4 wherein:

said house has a recessed bottom wall abutting said frame, said househas side and end walls extending around the periphery of said frame.

6. The carrier of claim 1 wherein:

said outer beam is the most distant element of said carrier from saidbumper.

1. A wheelless carrier removably mountable to a bumper and a trailerhitch ball connected to an automobile comprising: a coupling lockinglyconnectable to said ball; a pair of bumper mounts removably mountable tosaid bumper being positioned equidistant from and on each side of saidcoupling; a horizontal grid frame centered with respect to said ball andbeing fixedly mounted over and to said coupling, said frame having anouter beam extending generally parallel with said bumper; a pair ofcross struts having top ends fixedly attached to said outer beam andbottom ends fixedly attached to said coupling, said struts extend fromsaid beam downward and inward to said coupling forming a general Vshape; and, a pair of legs connected to said frame and being removablyconnectable to said mounts.
 2. The carrier of claim 1 additionallycomprising: a vertically erect support element fixedly attached to theunderside of said frame and to the top-side of said coupling; a meshscreen fixedly attached to and completely across said frame, andwherein: said frame is rectangular in shape and has a plurality of beamsintegrally interconnected; said mounts are hollow and lockingly receivesaid legs, said mounts each have a curved fixed hinge and an adjustablefinger lockingly embraceable with said bumper.
 3. THe carrier of claim 2wherein: said mounts are positioned in line with the opposite ends ofsaid frame; and, said frame is positioned above said bumper.
 4. Thecarrier of claim 1 additionally comprising: an animal house removablymounted atop said frame having a hinged lockable door and air vents. 5.The carrier of claim 4 wherein: said house has a recessed bottom wallabutting said frame, said house has side and end walls extending aroundthe periphery of said frame.
 6. The carrier of claim 1 wherein: saidouter beam is the most distant element of said carrier from said bumper.